| Henicopernis | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Long-tailed Honey Buzzard (Henicopernis longicauda) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Subfamily: | Perninae |
| Genus: | Henicopernis G.R. Gray, 1859 |
| Type species | |
| Falco longicauda [1] Lesson & Garnot, 1828 | |
Henicopernis is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
It contains the following species: [2]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black honey buzzard | Henicopernis infuscatus | the Bismarck archipelago in Papua New Guinea. | |
| | Long-tailed honey buzzard | Henicopernis longicauda | New Guinea |
Both species are endemic to New Guinea. Genetic research has found that they are closely related to the Australian endemic square-tailed kite (Lophoictinia isura) and black-breasted buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon), all sharing a 3-base-pair deletion in the RAG-1 gene. The four species form a monophyletic clade sister to Aviceda within the subfamily Perninae. It has been proposed that they could be united into a single genus, Hamirostra having precedence. [3]